After the whole family was swept away, I lay down flat

Chapter 299 Discussion of family separation

Not only the Tang family wants to go out of the northwest, but the Zhou family also wants to do so.

As the family became increasingly prosperous and most of the children in the family joined the army, the children of the Zhou family were spread all over the guard posts of the northwest frontier army. In addition, they all had a strict upbringing since childhood, and they had no shortage of opportunities to perform meritorious service under the arrangement of their parents. They were also brave and not afraid of death, so their promotions were naturally smoother than others. But as a result, the Zhou family's children will occupy much higher positions, and outsiders will inevitably think that the Zhou family controls an important position in the northwest frontier army. The emperor was afraid of the Zhou family, which was related to this.

However, his children are full of qualifications, talents and achievements, and they are willing to sacrifice their lives when fighting to protect their family and country. When the war was at its fiercest, more than half of the Zhou family members of the same generation were killed, and some of the remaining people were seriously injured and disabled. The Zhou family has sacrificed so much, why can't they be promoted based on merit like others? The emperor didn't send any really talented and reliable generals to the border army to decentralize power, and he didn't allow the Zhou family's children to serve outside the northwest. Is it the Zhou family's fault? The important positions in the army are placed there. If the court does not send people, in the end they have to select people from the border army to fill them. So why can't they be the Zhou family? At any rate, my own children will obey the orders of the Duke of Zhenguo. They are full of courage and talent, and are more reliable than outsiders.

If the children of the Zhou family have a chance to leave the northwest, the Zhou family does not have to stick to the northwest frontier. Da Chu is so big and has so many garrison troops. No matter how many outstanding sons the Zhou family has, they will not be conspicuous if they are spread out. The emperor no longer has to wonder where the Zhou family controls military power, which will threaten his power.

If other generals of the Northwest Frontier Army also have the opportunity to go out, it will only increase the help for the Zhou family. Whether in court or locally, the more people who are willing to speak for the Northwest Frontier Army and the Zhou family, the more stable the future of the Zhou family will be. It cannot be easily shaken by a few casual slanders from relatives and cabinet ministers.

Marshal Zhou, the Duke of Zhenguo, already understood what the emperor meant. He knew that the emperor wanted to weaken the influence of the Zhou family's children in the northwest frontier army, but he didn't care. He never thought of always controlling the border army, but when the war came, the court would only hold back. For the sake of the soldiers and people in the northwest, he had to stand up and take charge of the overall situation. If he had given in, there would have been many generals in the border army, each with their own abilities. I am afraid that no one would agree with the other and it would be difficult to reach an agreement. In the end, it would definitely affect the efficiency of the army and give the barbarians an advantage. Then it would be better for him to come forward and lead everyone!

But now the border is peaceful, and the Hu people are engaged in internal power struggles, and they can't think of invading Chu for a while. If the emperor is willing to be kind to the Zhou family and not kill them all, the Duke of Zhen will not mind letting go a little bit and promoting a few capable young people and letting them slowly take over the military power in the northwest - even if none of them are named Zhou.

The Duke of Zhen hopes to let the emperor see the loyalty of the Zhou family, but similarly, the emperor must repay the loyalty with sincerity.

Zhou Wenjun explained his grandfather's thoughts clearly, and then said to the sisters and best friends: "The Queen Mother also wrote a letter and asked my cousin to bring it to my grandfather. She also thinks this is good. As long as the Zhou family can continue, future generations will If the whole family is prosperous, there is no need for the whole family to stick to the northwest. If any uncle is transferred to work elsewhere in the future and establishes a firm foothold in the local area, my grandfather plans to let him separate from the family and establish his own name. From then on Separate from the Chang'an family. If there are too many branches, everyone may not be able to do the same thing as before. But no matter what happens to the Chang'an family in the future, the blood of the Zhou family can always be passed on. "

Zhou Yijun was silent for a long time, and Peng Yuqi's eyes turned red: "This is all the fault of those traitorous officials in the court..."

They were living a good life in the northwest, with a strong frontier army and a stable people, but there were selfish and treacherous officials who wanted to make things difficult for them. The Zhou family has lived in Chang'an for generations. The family gathered together in one place and took care of them in times of trouble. But now they were forced to separate themselves by the traitorous ministers in the court, and even other generals who were attached to the Zhou family were affected. Without those people, how could they have encountered such a thing? !

Zhou Wenjun held Peng Yuqi's hand and comforted him: "Don't worry too much, it's not a bad thing. Whether it's the Zhou family or the Peng family, if you want to be promoted in the border town, you must have military merit. But if the border is peaceful and without war, we Where can I go to make contributions? Maybe there will be better opportunities in another place? Yuqi, you can say hello to your father when you get back. He might be selected by the court. His surname is not Zhou, and his family has a simple population. He is talented and meritorious, and he is in his prime. The court will probably like military generals like him more than those who have a large family behind them. If your family really wants to move elsewhere, don't be sad. Our friendship will last forever. Nothing will change, no matter how far apart we are, you will still be my good sister."

Peng Yuqi almost burst into tears when she heard this, but she still choked with sobs and nodded: "Don't worry."

Haitang silently watched their conversation, thinking that the Queen Mother and Duke Zhen were cautious in their plans. If the Zhou family were to split up and disperse to different places to reproduce, of course they would not be able to be as numerous as before, but At the same time, it also alleviated the emperor's fear of the Zhou family, and the family became more confident in passing on the inheritance. Even if something happens to one branch, the other branches will not be blamed.

The four women each have their own thoughts. At this moment, the maid came to announce that the luncheon was about to begin, and asked the ladies to return to the table.

After hearing this, Haitang was about to stand up and leave. Zhou Wenjun hurriedly said, "Don't go back. Just stay with us in the garden, right?"

Haitang smiled and said: "It's okay for us to get together and talk before the banquet, but after the banquet, it's better for us to stay in our own seats. When hosting a banquet, we must arrange who should sit in each seat. Okay. If I don’t follow the instructions and sit around and take other people’s seats, I will cause trouble to the host. Why bother? We will have opportunities to get together and chat in the future, so there is no need to rush for this moment." ˆ ˆ Zhou Wenjun was persuaded by her : "Okay then. I'll take you back in person, and also say hello to Mrs. Hai."

They said goodbye to Peng Yuqi and Zhou Yijun. As soon as they left the pavilion, they saw a familiar person walking towards them.

Zhou Wenjun looked at his little cousin in surprise: "Xuejun? You didn't go back? I thought you left after reporting the letter."

"A few cousins ​​over there were playing hut, which was quite interesting, so I went over and played a few games." Zhou Xuejun laughed, "I even won one game!"

Zhou Wenjun smiled and said, "What did I say? I told you a long time ago not to sit in the house and read books all day long, but to go out more often and practice riding and shooting. Your body will be much healthier. Now you realize the benefits, right?"

Zhou Xuejun smiled coquettishly: "I know, am I quite obedient? I will continue to be obedient in the future."

Zhou Wenjun then showed a satisfied smile: "It's done, the banquet is about to start, I will take you back to the banquet in front."

Zhou Xuejun said hurriedly: "Sister, please let me stay. I'm small and can't take up much space. I just need an extra stool. I'd rather squeeze in with you."

Zhou Wenjun felt surprised: "You are going to sit with grandma today. You promised well earlier. What's the trouble now? If grandma can't find you later, she should be angry."

Zhou Xuejun sighed: "I don't want to either... But Mrs. Gui always asks Sister Wu Qiong to talk to me. Wherever I go, Sister Wu will follow me. It's scary... I don't like to hear those weird words from Mrs. Gui, too. I don’t want Sister Wu to be my sister-in-law, but my grandmother won’t allow me to be rude to distinguished guests... I have no choice but to stay away. Sister, please take me in for once! Just treat me as a pity..."

Zhou Wenjun, Zhou Yijun, Peng Yuqi, and Haitang couldn't help but look at each other.

(End of this chapter)